Thread by @BestForBritain

"There is an absolutely ferocious row going on in Whitehall over the Australia deal with real pressure to get it resolved by the end of this week. Gove and Eustice are on one side, Truss and Frost on the other.” @pmdfoster👇 - we're going in. 🧵 1/
ft.com/content/8c5f7a…

The government estimates that a free trade agreement with Australia would be worth an additional 0.01-0.02 per cent of GDP over 15 years — or £200m-£500m more than 2018 levels.

So, a tiddler of a trade deal. But it's a must-have if the UK wants to join the CPTPP. 2/

Truss wants a 'zero tariff, zero quota' deal with Australia. A lot has been made of working with "our kinsmen down under" (most recently by pro-Brexit Daniel Hannan 👇).

But it gets thorny when we look at regulations. 3/

Let's look at that most Aussie of treats - a Tim Tam.

Tim Tams include additives like e102, which are banned in some countries though not the UK. E102 was widely banned after being linked to hyperactivity in children - the UK FSA recommended a ‘voluntary ban’ over 10yrs ago. 4/

Still, with appropriate labelling, Tim Tams are legal to sell in the UK. But what if a trading partner has other rules that give them an advantage, or that are simply illegal in Britain?

Australia is also home to 64m sheep. And its welfare standards are very different to ours 5/

AUS permits ‘mulesing’, in which crescent-shaped flaps of skin are cut from a lamb’s rear (no anaesthesia) to create scar tissue that's less likely to attract blowfly infections. According to RSPCA AUS, up to 13.5m Merino lambs are mulesed annually. 6/

kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base…

Short tail docking, a process that removes most of the tail (& is banned in the UK) is also still allowed. And it’s not just animal welfare that's causing concern: antibiotics are used to promote growth, and Australian cattle can be treated with hormones. 7/

Hormone-treated beef is something the US wants Britain to accept under a trade deal, and Australia is believed to want the same. 8/
thetimes.co.uk/article/austra…

In the Queen’s Speech the govt pledged to promote the “highest standards of animal welfare”. DfIT has said any deal “will not undercut UK farmers or compromise our high standards.”

But this sprint to the finish doesn't fill us with confidence. /ENDS
bestforbritain.org/tim_tams_sheep…